By: David Evans
M-Sport has proved to itself and its World Rally Championship opposition that it is still a team to be feared, says boss Rich Millener.
After a fraught winter in which the team’s participation in the 2019 WRC was in doubt, M-Sport driver Teemu Suninen battled with Toyota’s Ott Tanak for the Rally Sweden lead earlier this month.Though Suninen later crashed out, Millener said the performance was a “perfect” boost after both Suninen and team-mate Elfyn Evans had gone off the road on the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally.
“After a bad Monte Carlo, I think some people were saying: ‘I hope this isn’t the future…'” Millener told Autosport.
“We’ve been able to bounce back straight away and show people immediately what we’re capable of doing.
“This has motivated and pushed the team on even more – and it’s shown everybody that we’re not here to be discounted.
“We’re here to get in the fight and push for the wins and that’s what we’re going to do.”
M-Sport ran Sebastien Ogier to the 2017 and ’18 WRC titles, and also won the teams’ and manufacturers’ crowns in the first of those years.
Prior to Ogier’s arrival, M-Sport had gone winless since its last season as Ford’s works operation in 2012.
“In the days before Seb came, we were perhaps seen as the team that was not fighting for the victories,” said Millener.
“We got the odd podium here and there, but they came through misfortune. Then we upped the game and won three championships.
“What we’ve done in Sweden is demonstrate that we are still a threat.
“We want people to look at the line-up before rallies and say, ‘Yes, Elfyn and Teemu are a threat’.
“We don’t want to be the team that might have a chance of the win if everybody else has a problem.
“The speed’s been great. We set Teemu the objective of leading rallies, winning stages and he’s done that already.”
Before the season, M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson insisted there would be no let-up in the effort or investment in performance from the team despite Ogier leaving for Citroen.
Suninen said the Ford Fiesta’s Swedish pace was testament to that policy.
“From last year, the car is fully different,” said Suninen.
“The team worked so hard. We have much more grip generally on the car and this is coming from the [extra] downforce we got from the aero work.
“This is where the Ford help is really showing. It’s great that we keep pushing forward with the car and I really think we can fight this year.”
Source and images: Motorsport News